I work with travelers, each day facing new challenges and questions. But once in a while (quite often) someone has a very strict budget and kindly asks us to “beat that” or “stick to that”. In many cases, it’s almost impossible to beat the budget but sometimes it might just work. However, that got me thinking about writing on the topic of traveling on a strict budget.

I am a budget traveler and although over the past years both me and Alex seem to agree that we’d rather stick to private bathrooms in our rooms than a common bathroom, that doesn’t mean we are looking for luxury travel ideas; maybe just mid-range. Or budget with a twist.

How to Score Cheap Flights

Although there are no guarantees that these tips work all the time, it’s generally accepted that:

• booking a trans-Atlantic flight 3 to 6 months before the intended date of departure can result in a good deal
• within Europe (or within mainland USA) the “sweet period” is about 6-8 weeks before departure
• if you don’t have plans but want to check out what’s available, typically during the last week before departure, there will be some major discounts provided there are seats left in the plane
• early in the morning or late at night is the best time to fly if you don’t mind the hours and want to find cheapest seats
• tickets are most expensive from Friday to Monday. Generally Tuesdays and Wednesdays are cheapest
• sometimes booking months in advance would do the trick; but not when it comes to low-cost carriers
• all airlines do have various discounts – usually at the worst possible time for your available budget
• sometimes booking through an OTA might be cheaper and easier on multi-leg journeys just because you don’t have to hassle with too many reservations and details yourself.
• in Europe, in many cases it’s cheaper to fly low-cost rather than take a train . sigh.
• summers and hot destinations (i.e. Italy , Greece) don’t mix with a low budget for flights. Ferries might be quite on the expensive side, too. Double sigh.
• create a spreadsheet and check out the prices for the intended day/s of departure every week. See how the price varies +/- 3 days
• be super flexible. And that’s why I prefer to book the flight and then book the accommodation. Many people aren’t comfortable doing that though.
• look up alternative cities; flying into a major hub is usually cheaper than flying into a small city
• pay attention to the card fees which apply when you book from the airlines’ pages. In many cases you can skip them if you have the right card (i.e. Visa Electron when booking with EasyJet)

How to Score Cheap Accommodation

• if you travel with a group of friends, stay in a vacation rental/ apartment rental. Splitting the costs does a lot of good to one’s budget.
• staying during the week is typically cheaper than staying over the weekend
• book in advance
• for a short stay (2-3 days) resolve to pay more to stay closer to the sites rather than having to pay a lot of transportation to said sites.
• traveling over any holiday / event / festival will be more expensive than during a “normal” time of the year. Booking.com does a good job at highlighting those dates.
• cheapest option is always a bed in a dorm somewhere further from the sites
• aim to find a place close to metro / bus stations. It’s easier to get around
• book the flight then the hotel/hostel (some people might not agree)
• a common kitchen is a God-send when on a low budget; you can always buy stuff at the store or market and put something together to eat rather than spending too much on restaurants / eateries.
• look for what the hotel/hostel offers and weigh in the price after that!
• read reviews. Use an “average” rather than counting the good/bad ones.
• in certain cases booking through a travel agency might mean you benefit from better prices (I am sooooo biting my tongue now!)
• airbnb seems to be the latest hit-site. People rave about it. Give it a try. I’m still a major booking.com fan.
• your friends – even “virtual” – in the cities you want to visit are your best bet when it comes to pointing you towards a good area to stay and decent places; or maybe they might offer a place to stay.

Other stuff

• take advantage of free walking tours; sure you’ll have to tip the guide but it’s cheaper than booking a tour
• walk as much as possible; see my advice about staying close to the sites
• if you do need to use a metro/bus then buy day/multi-day tickets/cards
• look up “free things to do in…” and come up with a list of what would be interesting for you. Many museums can be visited for free on certain dates, too.
• stroll the markets; people watching and cheap food = happy budget
• the stricter the budget, the more in advance you should plan.
• the said friends from above are also the gems to doing interesting stuff on a low budget; or just stroll around with your own guide.
• you can get drunk at home for less money. Enough said.
• expensify your trip; No, seriously. Use the app to store all info on everything you purchased during the trip. A real eye-opener

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